Conventional receptacles, for single and duplex electrical outlets, switches, indicator lights, and the like, conventionally have a ground screw extending from the receptacle housing to which a ground wire is connected. The wire is attached to the ground screw either by wrapping it around the screw and then tightening the screw, or by attaching a "grounding lug" to the ground screw and then wiring the "grounding lug". Such grounding is necessarily time-consuming, especially when the receptacles are being assembled in a multiple electrical outlet strip (such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,334, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein) or the like.
According to the present invention, a grounding plate for a conventional receptacle having a conventional ground screw associated therewith is provided which simplifies grounding of the receptacle, providing for ready utilization of the receptacle, and ready assembling of the receptacle into a multiple electrical outlet strip. The receptacle may include a single or duplex electrical outlet, a switch, or the like, and has hot and neutral wire-receiving structures associated therewith. The hot and neutral wire-receiving structures may be terminals such as are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,334, or may comprise the particularly formed receptacle bodies illustrated and described in copending application Ser. No. 190,050, filed Sept. 23, 1980 (the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein), or like suitable structure.
According to the present invention, means are associated with the ground screw for grounding the receptacle, the means comprising a grounding plate abutting the housing and having means defining an opening therein for receipt of the ground screw, and having a contoured surface extending away from the opening and for operatively engaging a ground object.
The ground object may comprise a face plate covering the receptacle face (such as a cover plate of a multiple electrical outlet strip) which in turn may be connected to a common ground wire in a wiring system. In such a situation, the contoured surface comprises an elongated serrated edge extending toward and engaging the face plate. The grounding plate may comprise first and second inner faces receiving a rib of the receptacle housing therebetween, with a web portion interconnecting the inner faces with a grounding face having the serrated edge formed thereon. The ground screw-receiving opening is formed in one of the inner faces.
Where the ground object is a ground wire, such as a common ground wire for a plurality of receptacles in a multiple electrical outlet strip or the like, the contoured surface comprises an arm extending outwardly from the receptacle back substantially perpendicular thereto, and having a ground wire-receiving surface manifestation formed thereon. The ground wire-receiving surface manifestation may comprise a V-shaped notch extending substantially parallel to the ground screw-receiving opening, or may comprise a strip having a tongue pressed therefrom to define an open-ended slot between the tongue and the remainder of the strip, for receiving the ground wire in the slot. In the latter case, the strip may be disposed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the grounding plate portion having the ground screw-receiving opening therein.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a metal grounding plate, and a receptacle utilizing such grounding plate, providing for easy grounding of the receptacle, such as when wiring the receptacle in a multiple electrical outlet strip or the like. This and other objects of the present invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.